Our Community Facilitation & Public Participation Practice
Enhancing Public Participation and Strengthening Democracy
Community engagement has become pivotal for efficient, inclusive, and constructive 21st-century dialogues and democracies. Collaborative relationships between communities and the Government are fundamental to participatory processes, including community engagement, to ensure just and viable outcomes that strive to improve the livelihoods of local communities.
Before implementing projects within a community, Governments, institutions, and corporations often embark on community engagement. At RACS, we act as Community Engagement Facilitators on behalf of these institutions to ensure the desired project is rolled out safely, well-received by the community, sustainable, and inclusive. Our Community Engagement Facilitators are well-versed in this specialised field with years of experience.
By taking a holistic approach to Community Engagement, we:
- Develop an in-depth understanding of the project.
- Frame the project within the context of the community.
- Develop shared goals and objectives that create alignment between the implementor and the community.
- Design an engagement plan that will achieve the objectives of the project.
- Facilitate the engagements.
- Monitor and report back on the project's progress as it relates to the community.
- And evaluate the effectiveness of the project and engagement process.
We have a wealth of experience in this field as an institution, spanning well over 20 years. Some of our key engagements in this area include:
- Designing the Public Participation process relating to the Olympic Concept Plan for the City of Cape Town, striving to become the host city for the Olympics back in 2004. Also awarded the tender to implement the public participation programme.
- Facilitating workshops for the Department of Community Safety on developing a Constitution for Community Police Forums.
- Designing and facilitating the Community Engagement Process on behalf of Sea Harvest and the Sea Fisheries Fund in the West Coast Region.
- Facilitating the Go George Community Engagements on behalf of the Western Cape Department of Transport and Public Works. It resulted in the successful roll-out of the bus system in Conville, Borchads, Pardene and Lawaaikamp in George.